


with a little help from my friends

by xx1onedirection1xx



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: larry stylinson - Freeform, larry!au, zouis, zouis!au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-24
Updated: 2014-05-22
Packaged: 2018-01-25 16:52:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1655621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xx1onedirection1xx/pseuds/xx1onedirection1xx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"We can't let them all live with us. There is barely room for me stand up, Lou."</p><p>au: lou and harry live in a small little cold apartment in nyc and lou feels bad when watching that one stupid model's show. "No, that just doesn't feel right. Like where does the clothes go after? Do they rid them? Gosh, I hope not."</p><p>there's a lot of nervous angst to help the lesser and lou wants to help so bad, wants to help all those lovely pisses of people, that he doesn't notice how heavy his eyes are getting to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	with a little help from my friends

"Y' know," Louis wrapped his arms around the lanky boy, discreetly breathing in and thinking _harryharryharry_. the sun set in through their white shutters and onto their small tv's screen, clouding their vision of America's Top Model. Harry hummed lowly under his raspy breath, and as he melted under Lou's gentle touch, whispered back. "What d' I know, supposedly?"

  
Louis sighed contently against Harry's shoulder, using the lad's plaid jumper as a slight pillow. The boy was all bones, though, but Lou didn't really care. He was still Harry and he was still Louis' Harry. And that made him smile until his cheeks hurt. "I always wondered on these shows, like how much clothes they go through."

  
Harry flicked his emeralds down to Lou's blue ones. "Yea, I suppose, Lou, but its a model show. They go through, you know, clothes and such."

  
Louis ticked, just moving his head back and forth against Harry's sweater. "No, that just doesn't feel right. Like where does the clothes go after? Do they rid them? Gosh, I hope not." Harry chuckled slightly and Louis felt the vibrations from it. They made his stomach weaken with joy and just, well, whatever the fuck they had. Love or something of the sort, Louis thinks. It must be something close to that.

  
"Gosh, babe, we've been fanatics of this show for years even. Now you worry 'nd such?" Harry breathed out, long, like this was just another thing that made Lou special. it was a fond kind of breath, but Lou took it more of an exhausted sigh.

  
He backed up a little bit and a little farther from Harry. "Sorry, was just, y'know, worried. It'd be horrid if they just rid of them, y' know, though?" Harry harrumphed when he felt Lou back away, and sent him a puppy dog look, with his obnoxiously big green orbs and basically swollen pink lips. Louis just shook his head dubiously.

  
"Dunno, it just boggles me. So many shows, where do they all go? So many people more deserving of this stuff out there..."

Louis continued, but just gave up. If Harry wasn't persuaded by now, Lou wouldn't press the issue any more. It wasn't worth it.

  
"o, I get what y' mean, babe, I just mean..." Harry gulped, and used his gigantic hands to wave them around in the air, making an emphasized point that Lou sighed in agreement with, "But its not like we have that much either. And we don't need fancy garments that these skinny american girls wear anyway."

  
Louis smiled, and just left it at that. Sure, their apartment wasn't the est in town, they did live n the big apple anyway, but it was better than most people could manage.  
So what, if they couldn't have heat in the winter, and had to use buckets to stop the rain in the spring, but they had a place that they could do this at. Some people just aren't able to get that chance, or need a pushing start at the least.

  
Later that night, the cuddled on their bed -moving from their 'vintage' (just old, but Harry likes to make ease his conscience by calling it that) couch when the clock hit midnight- until Harry drifted off in his little snoring sleep he had.

  
Louis felt tired, sure, and his eyes were heavy (like they have been lately, not too much, but enough that he's noticed them), but his mind wouldn't stop. he just didn't feel right, falling asleep that night. He didn't feel right about it.

That morning, Louis knew what to do. He hopped into the kitchen with purpose in each of his springing steps, from his freshly showered self. "I have an idea," he whisper-yelled right behind Harry (receiving a frightened 'jesus christ Lou, don't fucking scare me like that' in return), hands behind his back with excitement.

  
harry sighed and turned around, handing Lou a freshly brewed cuppa.

  
"What is it, then?" harry teased, smirk growing as he took a sip of his own, closing his eyes because caffeine, man. It really helps.

  
Louis held his foot down from its bouncing dance it was doing before. he cleared his throat to sound more serious. "So, like what we were chatting about last-"  
"Oh god, not the clothes issue-"

  
Louis gaped at him, "yes, the clothes issue, but not quite-"

  
"Then what then, haha, Louis, I mean-"

  
"Well," Louis set his cup down, to add emphasis, "if you'd care to let me speak, then you'd know."

  
Harry frowned and held his hands up like he was being arrested, just to mock Louis. Louis sighed and picked his cuppa back up with his left hand, since the other one was gesturing around and making more to his rather weak point. i know we don't have a lot, but we have more than others. And I mean, since we moved, like what, two years? Geez, time passes." Louis was looking around, and caught a glimpse in Harry's eyes as he sad that. He even grinned thinking about that too. but but to the main issue here.

  
"Anyway, its just, people are dying in the streets lower than our level, love. I mean, it just doesn't seem right."

  
"It isn't right." Harry shrugged. He took another long sip, and Lou watched the steam warm his face. it got cold in the mornings. And they never installed heat, or were willing to pay for it. So they just warm eachother, usually, but moments like this they need other sources. Contrary to Harry's desires, they can't stay cuddled up all day in their bed and read magazines from last summer's fashion issues. They have to go out, sadly, eventually had do stuff.

  
"yeah," Louis swallowed his nervous lump that was rising through his throat, "It isn't, so I think we should do something about it."

  
"We can't let them all live with us. There is barely room for me stand up, Lou."

  
Louis snorted air out his nostrils with frustration. "We don't have to do that, love, I just think we need to help out in other ways. Like, like maybe volunteering? Just anything could be a help, I suppose." harry thought for a second, eyes deep green in concentration. louis always thought it weird (but lovely) that his eyes changed with his mood. Though, Louis can admit he gets pissed scared when Harry gets angry. mostly because his eyes turn a deep, scary aquamarine color, like the ocean water people drown in. its that intense, that once Lou cried not form his words, but from the look in his eyes.

  
Course, once Harry saw him shudder and sob like that, like a fucking ugly movie star in a stupid drama, he ran forward and took him in his big arms and swore to never yell or breathe mad at Lou again.  
And Harry keeps his promises, usually. Their last fight has been over half a year ago, right near Christmas, when Louis cried like the pussy that he is.

his eyes turn black when he's sad. but not the normal sad. they turn black when harry's soul is black. louis has seen that black too many times before.

he likes to think it as not his fault. and it may not be.

but it was his idea to move out here. it was his idea that made them vulnerable to failure even more than before. so in a way, he caused harry's darkness sometimes.

anyway. it scares the shit out of him when harry's eyes change colors like that.

(only once did louis see his eyes turn lighter. it was when lou showed him his album collection. they just met and it was april and harry was shorter than him, at that time, at least. they were in lou's room with blue walls and a distinct scent of chlorine. lou was on the swimming team. so that makes sense. but Lou didn't think it'd make sense when that shy, mad boy would go to lou's room while lou was making them coffee at two in the afternoon and found him in lou's room. 'yeah,' louis had muttered, even gripped tighter round the mugs from nerves, 'suppose you've found my music.'

'ya' like these?' harry had asked, his voice high and cracking and man, louis loved him right then. he's loved him since harry fell in the pool. harry wasn't even on the team. its a long story.

anyway.

harry looked up and his eyes were a pastel green, like a color at a baby's shower. like the color expecting parents paint their child's room, unsure of it being boy or girl. like the color of an alien, which might be what the expecting parents give birth to. ya' never really know anymore.

louis had nodded. 'i think this might work.' harry whispered, gripping onto lou's Queen of 1981, live in Montreal, album. his knuckles were turning egg white.

'might.' harry snapped out of it, and cleared his throat. but his eyes were still green, the light green, the freakin' alien color.)

 

"there's a shelter downtown, the food one or whatever. that might work." louis' flicked back up to harry, his eyes trailing as he watched harry look everywhere but him. how could the rusty sink be that etiquette, more than looking at lou? that sounds cocky. but you know, its the truth.

harry does like him, anyway. might not be love, but they have what they have.

"yeah, y-yeah. i suppose." louis felt his blush creep down his neck, reaching up to scratch his ear. he looked down at the counter, now full of some weird embarrassment. 'i mean, if you don't want to, that's fine, i just. that's just something i'd like to do sometime. help others and all.'

'yeah. that's a good thing, so. that's fine.' harry nodded sternly, taking steps forward (little ones, not the ones he used to take) and leaned forward, in front of lou's face now. 'do what y' want, okay? don't let me get in the way of that.' with a chaste kiss on the cheek, harry past right by him and started getting ready for work.

louis looked down and sighed. he lessened his fatally tight grip on his mug. he's surprised it hadn't shattered.

(lou's surprised nothing has shattered by now. they're- the appliance, obviously not them- so fragile and delicate. and they're rusting up. they'll break soon enough. they should have by now.)

 

when it was his lunch break, from working at Dominoes' (people tip well, actually, it keeps him going with a great pay), he went on his phone in the bathroom, by the back sinks. lou had been itching to look it up all day, had been hurrying phone calls and driving a bit faster than speed limit allows to people's houses for deliveries.

its not like his break would have moved up if he went quicker, because time never goes fast-forward, no matter how much you bloody want it to. louis slicked his eyes to roll thinking about that. oh, how many time he'd make it forward if he could have.

but his life may have ended up different if he had. but that might not be so bad. the only thing he'd need would be harry. then it'd all be alright, whatever way life took him to.

'Well-life Food Shelter", the shelter was four blocks from their house-- _apartment_. lou needs to stop calling that place his house. that would mean it'd be a permanent thing. and that makes lou's skin crawl, thinking about permanent things. nothing is permanent.

(oh, he knows that to be true, later on. but we'll get there.)

(soon enough, we'll get there.)

 

 

'got the stuff!' he heard from down the hallway, muffled sound of keys jingling violently.

louis should have known when he walked out, that harry'd be there, keys in his mouth and hands full of to-go. 'that's what two trips are for, babe,' louis purred and walked forward, taking one load off of harry and letting him stand there, keys still in his mouth. harry spit his keys out onto the coffee table. lou turned around in time to see him wither from the metallic taste. it was priceless.

'two trips are for wimps.' harry wagged his finger at lou, walking forward and taking him into his big, strong arms. louis melted at the touch. he was so tired, he'd had a long day full of stoned teens ordering food and telling him to deliver. they couldn't be caught smelling and almost being weed.

but feeling harry's muscles (harry works out, whenever he gets the chance, and lou just eats salad, cause he believes it gets him equally as healthy as harry is) through harry's soft, thin cotton t-shirt made it all worth it. he'd do anything to feel that man hug him to solemnity night after night. he'd sacrifice it all for that.

'so i'm a wimp?' lou teased, leaning his head even more into harry's chest (height difference, though. they had such a big height difference now, it was insane.)

harry's deep chuckle shook lou's whole, limp body. it raced through his veins like blood. 'no, but you aren't exactly gruesomely macho either. and i like you to be in between like that. its sweet.'

'good,' lou spun himself around, to embrace harry in a tight hug. 'because i'm not changing any time soon.'

harry tensed up a little bit. louis figures confidently that its because harry said that once. and it wasn't genuine at the time.

harry pulled back and peeled his arms off of lou. 'let's dig in, boo.' his stern mouth gave in a little and grinned at lou.

louis stood there and watched harry open his bag and sigh with content. for some reason louis was really nervous. this doesn't feel exactly right. 'how was class today?' lou mumbled, expecting an answer. but silence came, and so did harry walking out to the living room, food in hand.

'i'm gonna go shower, okay?' louis said lower, maybe a bit too loud, just to make a point (harry wouldn't know it, but still). harry hummed as a response, then moments after, there was a muffled, 'sure thing, babe' and the television flicked on.

louis scuffled past the living room and down the hall, straight ahead, and took a tight left right into the bathroom, shutting the door steadily behind himself. his shoulders loosened up a little bit, which isn't right. he should be loose with harry in the living room. he's just so stressed lately.

he stepped into the shower and didn't really feel tight anymore, his muscles moving and his lungs expanding again. he took in the steaming hot shower, for those few minutes.

he was washing his hair when all of the sudden, louis dreaded, when he heard a soft click.

he tried his best to wash-check his hair for any still-shampooed spots, but man, the water was already turning.

it was fucking freezing like polar caps once he reached to soaping down his chest.

'fuck this i'm just done,' louis growled getting out, lips being bit under his sharp teeth, eyes threatening to close shut, already.

creeping back out into the room, hearing the tele blaring 'I'll be there for you... cause you're there for me too..."

'friends..' louis whispered under his breath, settling into place with the lanky boy, once again. he brought his lukewarm bag of food closer to him, closer to his chest, as he cuddled into the boy beside him. 'my favorite,' he cleared his throat, opening his bag of Chinese from the place down the corner. the guy who owned the store was named Lilo and he had a big, goofy smile on his dimply face. louis smiled thinking about it.

'i know it is,' harry whispered back to him, leaning down to say it closer to him, to make it more intimate. louis breathed in _harryharryharry_.

he was on his fifth, or so (he doesn't keep count, do you think he's that big a freak?), bite of his meal when he felt his grip loosen and his bag land softly on the couch cushion, still in tact, as his eyes closed against harry's t shirt.

'night babe, dream sweetly, 'kay?' was what harry said, and lou last remembered hoping that he would. he was hoping that he could.

 

 

the sun was cloudy when lou woke up. he automatically recognized it as saturday.

saturday's are always rainy. its like they're meant to be that way. and that sounds sad.

but its true.

louis got up and crept out to the kitchen, hearing harry in the shower, singing his old songs that he loves so much.

lou knows the tune from the second line he hears. 'why can't we give love, that one more chance? why can't we give love... give love... give love...'

harry always sung that on saturdays. its become routine.

and that's cute, right? having routines for everything?

lou still smiles softly at it, though. because it should be cute, and it is?

no, it is. there's no, question about it. it is.

he was pulling his knees up to his chest when harry emerged from the steamy bathroom. he stopped mid-hallway and sighed at lou. 'its freezing in there. i was in there for a bloody second before it changes.'

'i know, dunno why that quick. but i know,' louis mumbled back with a little shrug. harry rubbed his hands over his face.

louis coughed a little and whispered (why did he whisper?) 'coffee's on the stove. brewed a whole pot, just for you.'

harry's eyes brightened up a little and he grinned his award-winning smile at lou, who was sitting on the couch, against the arm rest, feet pulled up against him from the second cushion. 'thanks, muffin,' harry yelled form the kitchen, walking in and sitting beside lou with two mugs full of it.

lou's eyes widened. 'that much?'

harry shrugged. he gulped air and looked down at them. 'tough day, yesterday.' as that was an excuse now.

louis couldn't help but think: 'they're all tough days. they're all so fucking tough.'

louis smiled and left the room, with a dry kiss on harry's lips (they tasted like  vanilla and warmth. he went to get ready to 'go out', saying it was with an old friend.

but it wasn't. louis walked into the building and smiled. 'is this the place?' he asked a helper, hand stuck out. 'i'm louis tomlinson, and i'd hella like the opportunity help you lot.'


End file.
